1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drive mechanism for an automatic washer and more particularly to a device to allow for a delay between the start of rotation of a driving member and the start of rotation of the driven member in an automatic washer agitator drive.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the drive of an automatic washer, the agitator is driven either in a back and forth agitate motion or in a single direction spin motion depending on the particular portion of the wash cycle. Various clutching mechanisms have been provided in the prior art to provide a transition between oscillatory agitation motion and rotating spin motion.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,609,697 discloses a drive dog 42 depending downwardly from the agitator skirt which engages a drive dog 43 on the basket to carry the agitator and basket together during a spin mode and during the agitate mode it is stated that the downwardly depending dog 42 will push the basket dog 43 out of the way during the first oscillation and then will not contact it during subsequent oscillation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,248,908 uses an inner and outer helical spring type clutch 30 to permit oscillatory motion of the agitator without causing oscillation of the basket, but continued rotation in one direction during spin will cause the clutch 32 engage thus spinning the basket with the agitator.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,059,975 uses a pivoting arm 180 to alternatively be engaged by opposed cam surfaces on adjacent pulleys which are rotated in opposite directions to result in oscillatory motion when the pulleys are rotated in a first direction and results in a spinning of the agitator when the pulleys are rotated in a second direction.
It is desirable in washers to provide a means for driving the basket and agitator in a spin mode and only the agitator in an agitate mode. All the prior art has provided some solutions for providing this function, these solutions are somewhat complicated and use involved clutching mechanisms and connecting parts.
Therefore, it would be an improvement in the art if there were provided a simple, yet effective means for permitting oscillatory motion of the agitator without causing oscillatory motion of the basket, and for causing spinning of the basket upon a given rotation of the agitator, without the need for a complicated and expensive clutch arrangement.